Halloween is a huge letdown this year.

Parenting teen daughters is an experience chock-full of firsts, especially for dads.

I was trying to clear the cobwebs from my mind, and all I could find was random thoughts about Halloween (a.k.a. Hallowe’en, a.k.a. Allhalloween, a.k.a. All Hallow’s Eve, a.k.a. All Saints’ Eve, a.k.a. the Holiday That Is Bankrupting the Federal Witness Protection Program).

Roanoke Rapids Public Library reopened to the public on July 1. It has been good to see so many old friends and meet new people.

I’d rather focus on stink bugs.

What is the difference between seizing the day and muddling through? More than once I have risen to face the morning, only to moan and groan that it’s Monday again.

There was a time when a man’s word was his bond. Many deals were sealed with confidence with a mere handshake. You could also expect most people that you dealt with to tell you the truth.

Watching the Senate confirmation hearing of Amy Coney Barrett reminded me of the promise my father made to my sister Maureen to put the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The weather outlook for the weekend looks great — Saturday, 60/38 and Sunday, 67/48 — mostly clear for both days.

This is a year of double milestones: my mother’s house turns 75 and (as of Oct. 30) she will have been living there for 50 years.

Become an employee with full paid benefits, or remain a mostly independent gig worker? That debate’s raging in California as November’s general election approaches, and its outcome is likely to affect the entire country.

Autumn is such a calm season.